Council tax could rise by four per cent in Kirklees

Council tax in Kirklees could rise by up to four per cent during the next financial year.

In recent years local authorities could not increase the rate by more than 2 per cent each year without holding a referendum.

But Chancellor George Osborne announced in this year’s Autumn Statement an additional two per cent levy was available, which must be spent on adult social care.

Next week Kirklees Cabinet will consider the two choices available to set as its tax base, which would mean a 1.95 per cent increase as option one or a 3.95 per increase as option two.

Cabinet will consider the report on Tuesday and it will then have to be approved by full council.

TaxPayer’s Alliance political director Dia Chakravarty said: “Allowing tax rises in the guise of funding specific functions is an attempt at political point-scoring by the government.

“If a frontline service is in particular need of resources then councils should take every step to cut out waste and channel funding from other non-essential services before thinking of raising council tax.

“Recent research from the TaxPayers’ Alliance found that there has been a 58 per cent real terms increase in English council tax bills since 1996.

“The statistic begs the question, can struggling families up and down the country really afford a further rise in their council tax bill?”

Cabinet meets on Tuesday at 4pm, and full council will meet January 20, 6pm, both at Huddersfield Town Hall.